The playoff races in the NFL may not be fully decided yet, but most fantasy football league’s playoffs come to an end in Week 16.
Most of the stars showed up in Week 15 of the fantasy football season, which depending on your roster, spelled “advance” or “demise.” For me, it meant my season was over just one week shy of the championship game. Not having one player scoring a touchdown will do that to a team.Oh well, there’s always 2017.
Last week’s column was chock-full of winners that scored a combined 49 points between them in Week 15. Alshon Jeffery, Bilal Powell, and Mike Gillislee should continue to produce, so start them with confidence in your championship game. Below are a few more guys who might be able to help you bring home your league’s fantasy football trophy.
Worthy Of Your First Waiver Claim:
Ty Montgomery
He may wear number 88 but as Coach Mike McCarthy said this week, Ty Montgomery hasn’t been to a wide receiver meeting in months. The Green Bay Packers seemed to have figured out how to run the ball just in time for a playoff run.
Montgomery ran for 162 yards and two scores in a win for the Packers in Week 15. The Packers ran for 226 yards while averaging over nine yards per carry against the Chicago Bears. While expecting a repeat performance next week against the Minnesota Vikings is optimistic, Montgomery has proven that he is a viable running back in the NFL on a high-powered offense.
If someone in your league gave up on him a few weeks ago, this Packers running back needs to be in your lineup in Week 16.
Alfred Blue
We’re in reach territory with this suggestion, but that’s the brakes this late in the fantasy football season. Houston Texans starting running back Lamar Miller left the game on Sunday with an ankle injury and his status for Christmas Eve’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals is up in the air right now.
There’s a lot of turmoil with the quarterback position on this team at the moment, but early indications are that Tom Savage will be taking the reins from $72 million dollar man Brock Osweiler.
Houston likes to run the ball and the Bengals aren’t the greatest defending the run, so Alfred Blue could get a golden opportunity if Miller misses this game.
Worthy Of Your Second Waiver Claim:
Darren McFadden
The Dallas Cowboys have their running back of the future in Ezekiel Elliott. They also have their running back of the past in former Arkansas standout, Darren McFadden. McFadden was activated for Sunday night’s game as Elliott’s backup while Alfred Morris was deactivated since the two possess similar skill sets. While Elliott was jumping into the Salvation Army pot like he was Super Mario, McFadden was getting back into the swing of being in an NFL game.
If the Cowboys have nothing to play for in Week 17 and rest “Zeke,” McFadden could be a sneaky play behind that mammoth offensive line.
Robby Anderson
I was surprised to see that this New York Jets wide receiver is owned in less than 10% of ESPN leagues, but it’s true. Robby Anderson is Bryce Petty’s favorite target by far. The rookie has seen 29 targets over the last three weeks, including a 40 yard touchdown on the opening drive of Saturday’s game against the Dolphins.
Unfortunately, the Jets didn’t do much of anything else the rest of the game and neither did Anderson as he finished with a total line of four catches for 80 yards and the score. Petty did have to leave the game with a chest injury and his status for this week’s game is uncertain, so be sure to monitor that if you’re interested in Mr. Anderson. We all know the Jets are going to be throwing the ball a lot while trailing in games over these next two weeks.
Getting Defensive:
San Diego Chargers D/ST
This is a cop out, but this is Championship Week for a lot of you, so no foolin’ around. The defense that should be at the top of everyone streaming this position should be the San Diego Chargers as they take on the Cleveland Browns. RG III has made the Browns offense a little harder to defend due to his running ability, but not enough to make them a legitimate offense.
The offensive line is abysmal, having allowed 53 sacks so far this season. Add in the fact that the offense is averaging just over 15 points per game and you’ve got a recipe for success if you start the Chargers D/ST in Week 16.
